Reflection on John 1:43-51

 

Philip invites Nathanael to “come and see” Jesus anyway.

I will tell you what I mean by that.  You see, Nathanael’s first appearance on the pages of scripture present him as, how should we say, a little rude, and maybe even a little bigoted.  That is putting it lightly. 

One of Nathanael’s best friends, Philip, has just encountered Jesus, the Messiah, and it has changed his life.  Philip has come face to face with the savior of the world.  He has been invited to follow the one everyone in Israel has been waiting for to make everything right again.  Philip excitedly runs to tell Nathanael about Jesus. 

“We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth” (John 1:45).

And, Nathanael responds to Philip’s overwhelming excitement with a dry slur dripping of sarcasm.  “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46).

This is like someone running up and telling you that they have met the one who is going to unify our nation and set it all straight again.  “And, they are from Wyalusing of all places!” 

And, you respond, “Towanda rules, Wyalusing drools.”

That happened to Isaac once.  He had just heard the “Towanda rules, Wyalusing drools” slur in school and was repeating it over and over again in Wendy’s, when he turned around to see an entire family dressed in yellow and green.  Open mouth, insert foot.  But, he was in good company with Nathanael.  What Nathanael says is just like that.

It is like someone running up and to tell you that the savior of the world is here, and he is in California.  And, you respond, “The Messiah cannot possibly be in California.  Where would they ever find three wise men?”

It is like someone running up to you and saying, “We have found the one who will save us all: Jesus!  And, he is from New Jersey!” 

And, you respond, “What’s the difference between New Jersey and yogurt? Yogurt has an active living culture.”

I truly hope that I offended at least a couple of you because that is Nathanael.  He is the guy who just lets the thoughts that most of us keep well within our heads, slip right out of his pie hole without a single thought.  Like I said, he is rude, he is kind of a bigot, and Philip invites Nathanael to “come and see” Jesus anyway.

I am not even done with my sermon, and that message alone already moves my soul.

There are so many times that I am so thoroughly Jira.  Right?  You know what I mean.  It is the times that I do something and everyone around me whispers, “That was such a Jira thing to do.”  It probably has something to do with my vast ability to remember, or it has something to do with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.  I know that I am not alone.  I know that my ability to put my worst foot forward is probably shared among all of you as well.  We are right there with you, Nathanael.

But, the first amazing thing that God is directing us to see in today’s scripture is that no matter Nathanael’s personal lack of social pleasantries, God moves Philip to invite him to check out what Jesus is doing anyway.  Philip invites Nathanael to “come and see” Jesus anyway.

I hope that each of us has at least one friend in our life that will overlook our lack of social pleasantries, a friend that will overlook our careless tendencies and our sin, and will invite us to be a part of what Jesus is doing anyway.  None of us would inherit the kingdom if it was all up to us.  Especially, not Nathanael!  He slams Jesus’ hometown, even before he has met Jesus, and apparently, Jesus overhears the entire conversation!

Just to set that up, I want to tell you about this one time when I worked in a certain theatre, and a group of us were hanging out on the stage, letting off some verbal steam.  The director of the show was being impossible, and we were under a lot of pressure to get the show ready.  It was just a quick break where we offered our “constructive criticism” about our director.  The criticism may have mentioned the director’s tendency to mush his venomous words in his robust cheeks.  And, a couple of people may have, kind of, impersonated him doing it. 

It was at that point when the box office manager came bursting through the doors, telling us that the speakers in the building, the monitors that allow everyone to hear the show while they use the bathroom and such, must have been left on the previous night and everyone could hear the conversation clearly…including the director who was just outside in the hallway.  Not good.

Let us take it back to the Bible.  As Nathanael is walking toward Jesus for the first time, Jesus yells out, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!”  With a smile, Jesus is yelling, “Here is a man who is a straight shooter.  He tells it like it is.”

And, that mention of “deceit” should make us see flashes of their ancestor Jacob in our minds.  Jacob was full of deceit.  If you remember, Jacob cheated his way into an inheritance and cheated his way into a massive amount of wealth. Wow, people cheating the system to get wealth.  It is a good thing that does not happen today!

But Nathaniel is not like Jacob. Nathanael is not the cheating, smooth talker that his ancestor was. He is a blunt, tell it like it is sort of guy.

Now, Jesus declaration that Nathanael is a straight shooter, tell it like it is sort of guy, stops Nathanael in his tracks.  As he listens to Jesus’ words it is as if Jesus truly knows him.  It is impossible, right?  They have never met.  Yet, Nathaniel is astonished that this stranger knows this intimate detail about him. 

Nathanael declares, “Where did you get to know me?”

And, Jesus responds: “Yeah, I overheard you under the fig tree.”

It was that thing about Nazareth right?  Open mouth, insert foot.  It is just like my director and the sound system.  Awkward. 

Except, Jesus did know him.  And, I do not mean that he knew of him or simply overheard him.  The Greek clearly states that Jesus “knows” Nathanael.  He knows the guy deeply.  He knows of his rudeness, I mean straight forward character.  He knows of his thoughtlessness and knows his sin.  Jesus knows it all.  Jesus is that touchdown place between heaven and earth where all is connected and all is seen and heard.                                                                      

But, even with the Nathanael’s shameful truth spread out in plain sight, Jesus still invites Nathanael to “see greater things” than even that.  Jesus still invites Nathanael to come and check it out.  There is a place for even Nathanael in Jesus’ family. 

I like that, because if there is a place for him, then there is a place for me and you in Jesus’ greater story as well.  I also like that Nathanael had to prove nothing in order for Jesus to want him to be a part of what he was up to in the world.  Without any sort of test, Nathanael is told, “come and see” and is invited to be a part of this thing that is so much greater than himself.  It is beautiful.

He is invited into a life of salvation.  He is invited into a life of grace.  He is invited into a life of drawing people closer to God.  He is invited into a life of walking with God, hearing from God, learning from God, and just plain old trusting in God.  And, it is a life that is also directed at us.  We too are invited to step into something that is much greater and better and more holy than where we currently are standing.  We are invited to walk with Jesus and to live in Jesus.  We are invited to be a part of his life.

And, if you have no idea what any of that means, you are in good company, Philip and Nathanael do not have any idea either. 

Jesus says that Nathanael will stand in the place where he will see angels going up into heaven and coming down, just like his ancestor Jacob.  When he stands with Jesus, he stands in a place where the heavens and the earth touch.  When we stand with Jesus, we stand next to the place where heaven and earth touch.

And, who can fully grasp what all of that means?  But, it is not something that you are required to understand before you can be a part of it.  It is something that requires nothing more than coming and seeing. 

“Come and see.”

If you have some sort of mobility (feet, wheelchair, the strong arms of someone who loves you who can carry you, a connection to anyone really), and if you have some way of “seeing” or “perceiving” like eyes, or ears, or smell, or touch, if you have at least a couple of these things you are well qualified to walk next to Jesus in the kingdom of God, as it comes down to touch the ground and spread throughout the world.  You are well qualified, just as you are, to follow Jesus Christ, our God in the flesh.  You have to become nothing except yourself to be a part of something that is so much bigger than yourself.

Come and see.  Come and see the goodness of the Lord.  Come and see what love looks like when love has hands and feet.  Come and see Jesus, the Messiah.  Come, and see, and be a part of it all.  Come and see.